


A Visit from the Past

by MissSpencer



Category: NCIS
Genre: Assault, Attack, Concern, Injury, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-12
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-09 01:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4328571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissSpencer/pseuds/MissSpencer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Gibbs doesn't show up for work, Tony goes to see why and finds more than he bargined for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a random character study and I got a bit carried away. If people seem to like it then I'll keep going but if not I'll possibly stop. We shall see anyway.
> 
> Contains mention of underage rape/non-con but decided a warning wasn't needed. If people disagree I can add warnings.

There had been no answer when he knocked on the door the first time, or the second, or the third for that matter. Just as it had been with the phone calls that had been made when Gibbs hadn't shown up at work. Everything was silent, just the rustling of trees and the chirping of some nearby birds to keep Tony company as he waited for an answer to his knocks.

Finally he tried the door and found it unlocked, not that this was unusual for Gibbs, his door was rarely locked. Tony opened it a short way, ducking his head inside and looking around briefly before stepping inside.

"Gibbs? I knocked..." 

There was no reply, only silence.

"Your car's out front, I know you're home..." Tony called out, a note of concern starting to show in his voice as he crept further into Gibbs' house, looking around for any indication that Gibbs was here. He moved into the kitchen, his eyes falling onto a cup of coffee that looked as though lips had barely touched the cup before it was left to go cold. Now he was certain something was wrong, Gibbs would never leave his coffee like that without a very good reason.

Tony quietly pulled his gun from his belt, gripping it in his right hand as he started to search the house. He moved through the rooms in the house, clearing each one as quickly as possible before moving onto the next, finally having only one room left unchecked, the basement. 

He crept to the door and started to make his way down quietly, stalling for a moment when he saw a figure lying on the dusty floor below him. His eyes immediately darted around the room, ignoring all the sights he'd seen before, the skeleton of a boat that Gibbs always seemed to be building, the bottles and tools around the walls.

Turning his attention back to the figure on the floor, he moved down the stairs. Gibbs was lying on his front, not moving. Tony crouched down, carefully moving his hand to Gibbs' neck to check he still had a pulse. Suddenly he was crashing back into one of the wooden beams of the boat with a gasp, Gibbs having pushed himself up and somehow had the strength to shove Tony away.

"...DiNozzo!?" His voice was hoarse and croaky, not sounding altogether like Gibbs, he was just about stood now, supporting himself against the desk behind him as he looked at Tony. "I thought you were..." He stopped himself, instead moving a hand to the back of his head and wincing slightly as he felt the sizable lump there.

"You alright Boss?" Tony pushed himself up from the boat, stretching his back a little.

Gibbs just watched him silently for a few moments before he pushed himself away from the desk, moveing to walk towards the stairs but faltered a little, still not at his full strength and his knees giving way on him slightly as he released the desk. Tony was quickly beside him, not touching him but close enough for Gibbs to hold onto him if he needed. He was surprised when he felt Gibbs hand close on his shoulder tightly, pausing to let him get his balance. Gibbs let go of him, acting as though nothing had happened as he walked to the stairs again, steadier this time for the moment to adjust. Tony followed him, watching him closely.

"Boss, you really should see a doctor."

"I'm fine, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, moving through to the kitchen and tossing the cold coffee before he started the process of making a new one.

"Well yes, I have quite often come here to find you knocked out in your basement with no explanation." Tony muttered, earning himself a glare and a mental head slap from Gibbs, who would have given him a real one if he'd been closer. "Gibbs, what's going on?" He continued despite the glare.

Gibbs didn't reply, moving to retrieve a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer, wrapping them in a towel before putting them against his head. He hissed suddenly from the contact, closing his eyes briefly and moving a hand to the counter to support himself.

"Gibbs..." Tony started, stopping again as he saw the look he got and sighing. "I'm calling Ducky." He muttered, ignoring Gibbs' brief objection and moving outside as he made the call.

When he returned, he found Gibbs sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee sat nearby, his head resting on his arm, flat on the table, with the frozen peas held to the back of his head with his other hand. For a moment Tony thought he'd passed out again, moving towards him and reaching out a hand to shake him. Before he could even touch his shoulder, Gibbs spoke, stopping him in his tracks, his hand still hovering in the air near him.

"DiNozzo, if you so much as think about what you're about to do I will throw you out."

"Got it, Boss." He said quickly, pulling his hand back and sitting down in one of the spare seats.

"Ducky's on his way over." 

"Tell him not to bother." Gibbs muttered, half growled, but he seemed to be too tired to follow through with anything threatening.

"No. Someone needs to check your head and make sure you aren't brain damaged or something." Tony snapped, immediately regretting it as Gibbs lifted his head to glare at him.

"Sorry, Boss. But given that you won't tell me what's going on, I gotta do what I thinks best with what I do have." He sighed.

Gibbs watched him for a few moments in silence, huffing quietly as though he couldn't really find a decent argument against Tony's words and so picking up his coffee instead, trying to figure out the best way to let Tony know what was going on.

Tony watched him as he drank the coffee, his eyes narrowing as he watched Gibbs' expression turn from the slight glare he was aiming his way, to a wince as his eyes closed for a few brief moments.

"Gibbs, y'not gonna pass out on me are you?"

"Not planning on it, Tony." He paused, glancing at him briefly before looking down into his coffee. "Bathroom. Some painkillers."

Tony stood immediately, giving a brief nod before he swiftly left the kitchen and headed up the stairs, almost like a dog sent after a bone Gibbs mused, though only briefly as he settled his head on his arm again now Tony was out of the room.

\------------

Moving back down the stairs, Tony could hear talking coming from the kitchen. He paused for a moment, listening quietly and pulling his gun from its holster again, moving down the remaining steps carefully. He stepped into the kitchen, half lifting the gun before he sighed, lowering it again.

"Ah, Tony my boy. I would really rather you didn't shoot me with that thing." Ducky nodded to the gun before he went back to checking Gibbs' head.

He holstered his gun again. "Not planning on it, Ducky. Just being cautious." He moved further into the kitchen again. "He okay?"

"I'm still here, DiNozzo." Gibbs growly, managing to be intimidating even with his head resting in his hands as Ducky checked him over.

"Sorry, Boss." He moved over, setting the tub of pills on the table near Gibbs before looking to Ducky to silently ask him the question again.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you have a rather severe conclusion, Jethro. I wouldn't advise you to be on your own given that you will probably refuse a hospital visit."

Gibbs glanced back at him with a brief glare, knowing that he was unlikely to get rid of Tony now. He sighed briefly, picking up the pills and taking two out, taking them quickly with his coffee.

"I've had worse, Duck'." 

"That may be, Jethro. But that doesn't change my recommendation."

"I'll stick around, Ducky. He needs a protection detail anyway."

"Very good, Tony. See if you can get anything out of him about what happened since he refuses to tell me." Ducky said, ignoring the glare that Gibbs was giving him and Tony for talking about him like he wasn't there.

Tony just nodded a little, standing to see Ducky out as he knew he had to get home to his mother, Tony had no such responsibility, no one waiting for him, so he was free to stay and try not to piss Gibbs off so much that he killed him. It was going to be an interesting night.

\----

"Alright, Tony, Alright. If it'll stop you talking I'll tell you what happened." Gibbs sighed, exasperated at Tony's almost constant jabbering about the various movie plots that could explain the situation. He'd been going for almost an hour now since Ducky left and there was only so much he could take, when his usual threatening looks had stopped phasing Tony.

They were sat in the basement again, Gibbs having wanted to work on his boat to try and relax his head, hoping to dispel some of the headache that the painkillers weren't helping with. Tony was sat in the chair by a desk full of tools with a coffee in his hand, unfortunately not how he liked it but he wasn't leaving Gibbs if he was in danger, which he greatly suspected he was.

Tony sat up a little straighter at Gibbs' words, watching him expectantly and in silence.

"I worked a case, quite a while back when I was a probie." Gibbs started, glancing to Tony briefly and glaring a little that he looked quite as eager as he did.

"The seven year old daughter of a naval officer had been kidnapped, and subsequently raped and murdered." He paused again as Tony let out a quiet 'Ooh'.

"Mason Aims. The man responsible. Very nearly got away with it, but he got cocky when I interrogated him and that got him life in prison."

Tony frowned a little, not sure how this had any bearing on the current situation if the guy was in prison.

"He showed up at my door this morning." Gibbs stated plainly.

"They released him?" 

"He escaped, 3 days ago. Apparently no one felt the need to inform me." Gibbs glared a little, though this time not directed at Tony. "The senior agent at the time has retired." He continued, to answer the question he was sure Tony was about to ask. 

Tony watched him quietly for a few moments, running several questions through his head before he decided to cover the more important topic first.

"Why did he come here?"

"Revenge." Gibbs stated plainly, looking back at Tony.

He nodded slowly, a frown building on his face before Gibbs interrupted him.

"You want to know why I'm not already dead." It wasn't a question. He knew that's what Tony was thinking because it's what he would ask as well.

He watched Tony nod briefly before he continued. "It seems he didn't have fun in prison. He wants to put me through as much hell as he's been through since he went inside."  
Tony started to look more worried as he thought about all the ways in which Aims could achieve this, his mind immediately going to Abby.

"I need to call Ziva." He said, quickly standing and moving to the stairs before Gibbs had time to object. He looked back, surprised when there was no such objection and instead just a quiet guilt present in his eyes. A guilt that Tony was sure would never be visible if the man weren't so exhausted and concussed. 

He looked as though he wanted to say something but instead Tony left, moving outside into the fresh air to call Ziva, holding the phone to his ear once he'd hit her speed dial key.

It didn't take long for her to answer.

"Tony, how was Gibbs? She asked, getting straight to the point that she had been worrying about(not that she'd shown it) all day.

"Talk about it tomorrow, Ziva. I need you to go to Abby's and stay with her tonight."

"Why would you want me to do this?" She asked, he could almost hear her frowning through her words.

"Ziva, just... Gibbs was attacked. I'll..." He started but Ziva cut him off mid sentence.

"Attacked!? By who?" He heard movement and the sound of metal scraping against wood as she snatched up her keys from where she left them.

"I'll explain tomorrow, Ziva. But I think we're all in danger, not only Gibbs. Please just check on Abby and stay with her?" He sounded a little desperate causing her to pause.

"Okay, Tony. I will stay with her." She said, her voice a little softer than normal.

"Thank you." He sighed. "Can you call McGee as well. Tell him to be wary, and maybe have him stay with Ducky?. I'm staying with Gibbs tonight to make sure nothing happens here."

"Of course, Tony. I will call him. Explain this to me tomorrow though. I do not like not knowing things like this."

"I promise, tomorrow I'll explain." He smiled a little, thankful that she didn't push to know more tonight, he was to tired already and he needed to try and stay alert.

They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone, Tony making his way back inside and locking the door behind him, knowing that Gibbs' habit of not locking up is probably how this guy got in.

He moved back through to go down to the basement before a shape, slumped in the corner of the sofa in the living room caught his eye. He moved through, watching the sleeping figure of Gibbs for a moment, just to make sure he was breathing and that he didn't need to call Ducky again. He smiled slightly, picking up a blanket that was draped over the back of one if the other chairs in the room, draping it carefully over Gibbs. He stood back, quickly making sure he hadn't disturbed him before signing quietly to himself, making his way to the kitchen to top up on coffee. He glanced to the clock, sighing a little as he saw the time, barely past 9pm. It was going to be a long night.

\------


	2. Chapter 2

By time Ziva and Abby arrived the next morning, walking out of the elevator and into the bullpen, Tony was already asleep again, slumped over his desk and snoring into his arm.

Ziva grinned slightly, glancing to Abby briefly before she quietly moved towards Tony.

“Ziva!” Abby hissed at her quietly, beckoning her to come back towards her. “Let him sleep.”

She ignored Abby’s objections however, leaning down next to Tony’s ear and blowing softly into it, laughing as she quickly moved back to avoid his hand as he swatted it towards his ear. He woke fully with her laugh, pushing himself up from the desk with so much force that he almost sent his chair and himself backwards onto the floor.

"Ziva, that was mean." Abby huffed, moving past her and wrapping her arms around Tony's shoulders from behind. Tony glared a little at Ziva, the yawn that he tried to hide a moment later making the glare highly ineffective.

"I am sorry, Tony. Abby. I could not help myself." She grinned still, though her apology was sincere.

Tony just hummed briefly, a hand coming to rest on one of Abby's arms as she seemed content to stay where she was for the time being. He glanced towards Gibbs' desk, sighing quietly as he saw he wasn't there.

Ziva followed his gaze briefly before looking back to him, concern now present on her face. "Where is Gibbs?"

"With the Director." 

"Is he okay? Who attacked him, is he hurt..." Abby started blabbering away before Tony interrupted her, turning to look at her as she stood properly again, her hands still resting on his shoulder however.

"Abs, he's fine, you know Gibbs, his heads too hard to let a little bump do anything." Tony grinned a little, pausing as Abby started to look a little sheepish and quickly looking around, finding Gibbs standing and watching them.

"Is that so, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, not looking impressed. 

Tony looked back to Ziva with a slight glare, she was trying to hide her smirk and had obviously seen Gibbs coming.

Gibbs didn't seem to want an answer to his question as he moved towards his desk, sitting down. "This is our case now. I want to know everywhere Ai..." He started but he was halted by Abby wrapping her arms around him suddenly.

"I'm glad you're alright." She mumbled quietly in his ear, to quiet for the others to hear.

She stood straight again after a moment, looking at him briefly as he raised an eyebrow to her. "I'll be in my lab." She muttered, quickly moving away towards the elevator again, not seeing Gibbs's smile as he watched her leave. Though it quickly turned to a glare as he caught Tony and Ziva grinning at him. They quickly stopped.

"I want to know where Aims went after he left my house last night." Gibbs continued, as though nothing had happened. "And where the hell is McGee?"

Tony glanced to McGee's desk briefly before looking to Ziva.

"I told him to go and watch Ducky last night." She stated, shrugging slightly.

"Someone call him." Gibbs sighed, sounding exasperated that no one had noticed McGee's absence until now.

"On it, Boss." Tony said quickly, his hand already halfway way towards his phone to do just that.

\------

McGee, as it happened, was on his way into work as his phone rang. Escorting Ducky who was driving his own car just ahead of him. When his phone rang for a second time he huffed a sigh, answering and putting it on speaker phone before setting it on the dashboard, looking to Ducky's car again.

"Probie, you planning on showing up for work today? Tony tried to keep his normal joking tone, but if he was honest, he was a little worried, about all of them, and if you payed enough attention it showed, especially given how tired he was today.

"I'm on my way Tony. Ducky was worried about his mother, we had to check all the doors and windows were locked three times before we finally left."

"Ah, wonderful woman." Tony smirked a little, he'd been charged with protecting the old woman before, though while she may have been something of a handful, there was a certain endearing quality about her.

McGee just hummed briefly in response as he followed Ducky around a corner and after a moment stopped at a set of traffic lights. "So what exactly is this about anyway?" He asked, looking to his phone where it sat as though he were looking at Tony speaking.

"It'll be easier to explain when you're here. Just how long will that take again?"

"We're on… Pennsylvania Avenue. Should be there in ten minutes." He continued, looking back to Ducky's car as the lights turned green and they started moving once more.

The next thing he knew, he was being slammed into the door of his car, his seatbelt doing little to protect him as it went taut, forcing the air out of his lungs. He had a vague image in his head of a car having smashed into the side of his. Also the impression that he was still moving, though everything seemed to be going in slow motion and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it, the blood trickling down from the gash on the side of his head where it had impacted the car window probably not helping. He looked to the crumpled hood of his car through the cracked windscreen, briefly noting that he was probably lucky the other car hadn’t his door before his car suddenly came to a hault. All his thoughts flew away as he was thrown to the other side, having nothing to hit as his seatbelt snapped taut across his chest again and harshly pulled him back into his seat.

He was still for a few brief moments, gathering his thoughts as best he could before he tried to move. He yelped in pain as he shifted his arm, a pain shooting into his shoulder. He could vaguely hear Tony’s voice from somewhere within the car as the pain clouded his head more than it already was. Then Ducky’s voice was coming from somewhere, he looked around hazily, noticing the glass covering the dash and himself before he saw Ducky looking at him through the smashed windscreen. The concern on his face would have worried him if he hadn't fallen into the blackness at that point, hearing muffled sounds for a moment longer before he knew nothing.

\------

"Probie..?' Tony had heard some sort of crashing sound, the sound of metal impacting metal, and if he hadn't been worried before, he certainly was now.

"Probie I swear to god you better answer me now." He growled, sitting up straighter and ignoring the looks he was suddenly getting from Ziva and Gibbs. That was when he heard the yell of pain, any colour that had been in his face immediately draining away. "McGee!"

He didn’t need to say anything, Gibbs was already striding past his desk with his keys gripped tightly in his hand. He looked to Ziva, standing up as he smacked his hand flat onto the desk, cutting off the call and grabbing his gear.

“McGee will be fine, Tony.” Ziva said, her gear already in hand as she waited for Tony to move before walking beside him as they moved to the elevator.

“He didn’t sound exactly fine, Ziva.” He snapped, glancing to Gibbs who was already stood in the elevator waiting for them. He glanced to her apologetically as they both stepped inside, Ziva pushing the button for the garage. “Sorry. Ziva I…” He started but she cut him off before he could finish.

“It is fine, Tony. I am worried as well.” She said, glancing to him quickly. "You will fill me in on what is going on, yes?" She asked, she didn't really need an answer, she would find out on the way and so she stood a little straighter as she fell quiet, just watching the doors in silence as they descended.

Gibbs remained quiet as well. Watching his agents and wondering how he was going to keep everyone he cared about safe.

 

\------

By time they reached the scene the area was surrounded by local police. They had cordoned off most of the street to keep people away, there was a tall, dark haired man in a suit inspecting the dented and smashed wreck that was once McGee’s car.

Gibbs moved towards the car as soon as he’d shown his badge and been let through the tape barrier. Tony and Ziva not far behind him. “Who are you?” He asked, rather bluntly because he was not in the mood for pleasantries at the moment.

The man turned towards them, a smile appearing on his face for a few moments in greeting. “Detective Ford.” He moved towards them a step, holding out his hand towards Gibbs.

“You’re contaminating my crime scene.” He said, lifting his badge to show the young detective rather than shaking his hand, looking past him and to the car, his eyes immediately going to the blood on the driver side window.

“I wasn’t aware this was an NCIS matter.” He said, frowning a little as Gibbs moved past him, turning to watch him as he inspected the interior of the car for himself.

“The driver is a member of my team.” Gibbs stated, looking back to Ford.

“I… I’m sorry I didn’t know. He’s alive, they’ve taken him to the hospital.” He said, glancing back to Tony and Ziva who were stood behind him before looking to Gibbs again. “A doctor.. Mallard, went with him in the ambulance.” He continued after briefly checking the name in his small black notebook.

Gibbs hummed briefly, glancing to Tony and Ziva before looking back to Detective Ford. “Do you have any issue with us taking over this case?” He asked, his tone saying that Ford didn’t really have a choice whether he was happy or not.

“No, not at all. Though I would like to help.” He watched Gibbs, frowning slightly as he nodded at Tony before walking off. He looked to Tony himself questioningly.

“You’re in pal. For this case that is. Now, tell us what you got.” Tony said.

\------

Gibbs was sat in the small hospital room in the chair next to McGee’s bed, watching him quietly. Ducky was sat by the window and doing the same to Gibbs, certain that he wasn’t as alright as he said about the situation, he’d been filled in while they were waiting for McGee to wake up.

It was almost two hours after the crash when McGee did finally start to wake. He grunted quietly as he tried to move, still partly asleep and drugged up for the pain, his body not doing what it was told.

“McGee?” A soft voice came from somewhere beside him. He opened his eyes slightly, squinting against the light as he turned his head towards where the sound had come from, seeing Gibbs but not entirely registering him, frowning a little.

“Tim?” Gibbs said, his voice still soft. He stood, moving to sit on the edge of the bed carefully, looking down at him with concern.

“...Boss?” He frowned again as his voice came out as more of a croak than words, moving to push himself up, halted a little by his left arm being in a sling and his shoulder feeling sore and stiff. “What happened?” He continued, seeing Ducky as he managed to push himself up more, Gibbs standing to help him where he could.

“You don’t remember?” Ducky said from across the room, standing as well and moving to stand at the end of his bed.

McGee shook his head, wincing immediately as he did so, his hand moving to cover his eyes as he groaned. “I remember we were driving to work…” He muttered after he’d had a few moments to steady himself. “I was talking to Tony, on the phone.”

“Do you remember the crash?” Gibbs asked, now sitting on the bed again as he watched McGee quietly.

“Crash? I… No.”

Gibbs glanced to Ducky, nodding after a moment and watching as Ducky quietly left before looking to McGee again. “It’ll come back to you. Right now you need to rest.”

McGee nodded slightly, being careful not to aggravate his headache this time as he moved his hand from his eyes and looked at Gibbs, confusion written all over his face as he tried to figure out what had happened.

“Doc’ll be by in a bit but I’ll be here if you need anything.” Gibbs smiled slightly, moving from the bed and sitting in the chair again.

“You’re staying?” He frowned.

“Yes, I’m staying. Now do I have to order you to rest?” Gibbs glared a little.

“On it, Boss.” McGee smiled slightly, that was more like Gibbs. He sighed, lying back down properly, his hand moving back to cover his eyes from the lights.

Gibbs smiled slightly when he was sure no one would see, settling in to wait for Ducky to come back from talking to the doctor about the memory loss. Sighing quietly to himself he pulling out his phone. It was about time he told Vance what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC
> 
> Comments and constructive crits are very welcome.


End file.
